Becoming Tom
by Penelope L. Rose
Summary: The Story of the young Tom Riddle, starts after Dumbledore leaves the orphanages and will eventually end with either Tom discovering he is a descendent of Slytherin or him opening the Chamber of secrets. T rating is for future chapters. This story is currently on hiatus. I have been dealing with health issues and am unable to write at the moment.
1. It Begins

Chapter 1

Tom stood in his room long after the man in the ridiculous plum velvet suit had left. He could hardly believe the truth behind his specialness. As he glanced down, Tom noted the rather small sack of money he had been given for supplies, next to the items he had pilfered from the other children in the orphanage. _I'd better give these back_, _or that professor won't let me go to that school_.

Soon enough, the items had been returned to their owners, Tom grudgingly handing them over, the owners shying away, wary of anything in Tom's possession. Tom then turned to his next task, persuading Mrs. Cole to allow him out of the orphanage. He needed his supplies and that man, Dumbledore, had mentioned he might be able to find a room in a pub, The Leaky Cauldron.

As Tom stood before the matron's office, he knocked.

"Enter."

Tom put on his most innocent face, and pushed open the office door.

"Ah, Tom, I thought I'd be seeing you. You've spoken with the Professor then?"

"Yes Mrs. Cole, but I need to buy my supplies."

"Tom, we don't have the money…."

"I won't need it, the Professor gave me money. He said they have a fund for students without money."

"Alright, when will you be returning? And, will you need help finding where you need to go to buy these supplies?"

"NO! I mean, I don't need help Mrs. Cole, and something was mentioned about there being the possibility I could stay on at a sort of travelers stop."

"All right then, I suppose I'll see you when school ends."

Tom raced to the door, and slammed it shut, relieved to be free at last.

Behind the closed door, Mrs. Cole muttered, "Well, that's one problem done with."

* * *

><p>Tom the barman was preparing to lock The Leaky Cauldron for the night, it was quite late. But suddenly he heard the door onto the Muggle street open. Quickly glancing up, he saw a young boy, looking like he would soon start his first year at Hogwarts.<p>

"Can I help you? Are you lost?"

"Err… no, Sir. I was hoping you could direct me to Diagon Alley."

"The barrier will have been sealed for the night. Don't want people prowling 'round after dark."

"Are you Tom?"

"Yup, proprietor of The Leaky Cauldron, going on twenty years."

"Professor Dumbledore mentioned you - he said I might be able to stay here."

"Ah, good old Albus. Why do you need to stay here? Where are your mum and dad?"

"I live in a Muggle orphanage. Can I stay, or not? It doesn't matter what you say, I'll just sleep in the doorway if I have to, I won't go back to that place," Tom said, clipped anger rising in his voice, until he winced with his last word.

"Sure, but you'll have to pay for the room."

"I can't."

"Then, I guess you have two options. Sleep on the stoop, or help me close up and you can have a room until dawn, then I'll let you into The Alley. If you keep helping, I'll let you stay until you've got to leave for school."

* * *

><p>Tom was woken at dawn the next morning, just as the barman had promised. After a hasty piece of toast, which Tom had accepted only grudgingly, the barman led Tom to a small yard behind the bar, and tapped a brick, telling Tom to remember which brick it was so that he would be able to reenter the Alley without assistance once he had a wand.<p>

The brick wall opened into an archway, and Tom strode through, feeling his first lapse in confidence. There was so much to see. The first thing to catch Tom's eye was a massive white building. Staring in awe, Tom raced towards it, stopping only when he read the displayed sign, "Gringotts Wizard Bank". Disappointed, Tom strode away.

After wandering for some time, Tom extracted his supply list, glancing over it, and deciding upon a wand first. Not knowing where to go, he tried to look innocent, and gently approached a woman and her gaggle of children.

"Excuse me,"

"Hmmm…. What? Oh, yes dear?"

"I was hoping me you could tell me where I can buy a wand."

"Why Ollivander's, of course. Only place."

"Where could I find this place?"

"Down the street and take a left," she said hurriedly.

"Thank you, ma'am."

The shop was cramped, and seemingly empty. Tom stood for a minute before sitting in the rickety chair near the door.

"Good day," a voice rang out from the shadowed depths of the store.

Tom sprang to his feet, looking in all directions, finally spotting a man.

"Here for your first wand?"

"Yes."

"I'll need to take some measurements first, then I'll find you a wand, plenty here."

Tom's eyes widened as a measure sprung into the air and magically unfurled near his forearm. A few minutes later the measure rerolled, and the man, who had yet to introduce himself, but was presumably Ollivander, began searching for wands.

"Twelve inches. Rowan and unicorn."

Tom looked expectantly.

"Give it a wave boy!"

Tom gave a slight movement of the wand, only to have it snatched away.

"No, not at all correct. Blackthorn and dragon heart string, fourteen inches."

Tom only picked this one up to have it snatched away.

"No, no. Perhaps this one. Yew and phoenix feather, thirteen and a half inches."

Tom touched the wand, and felt an almost overwhelming surge of power.

"Yes, yes. I think this wand suits you well."

"How much is it?"

"Ten Galleons," Ollivander said as he wrapped up the wand.

Tom grudgingly dug out ten of the largest coins.

"Thank you, and here is your wand. I'm sorry, I don't think you've said your name."

"Riddle. Tom Riddle."

"Well then, don't go using that wand just yet, Tom."


	2. Supplies, Supplies

_Author's Note: This is an unbetaed chapter, and I'm sorry it is so short, nothing compared to the first chapter. If you have any suggestions I would love them, I seem to have hit a wall for what to do next._

Chapter 2

Tom was lost, and he couldn't bring himself to ask for help. All the shops he'd seen on the main street only sold items he couldn't afford with the funds provided to him. As he wandered farther down the street, he found himself in a much darker alley, with rather different shops than he had yet seen.

"Need help, deary?"

"No, just looking around," Tom told the old hag who had addressed him.

"Want to buy something," she asked, thrusting a tray under his nose.

"No, I can't, other things are more important."

Tom strode away, back towards Diagon Alley, but first he caught site of the sign above the shop he had been accosted in front of, "Borgin and Burkes".

Back in the sunlit streets of Diagon Alley, Tom wandered again, unsure of where to find secondhand school supplies, and unwilling to lower his pride again by asking for help. Just as he thought of giving up and admitting defeat a poster blew along the ground.

Reaching to pick it up, Tom read, "Mrs. Werkle's Second Hand Wizard Wear: For the Thrifty Witch or Wizard". Beneath the advertisement's title, an address was listed. Tom found the address, only a shop away from Ollivander's; he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

He turned and headed back towards Ollivander's, clutching his new wand, the box having been disposed of. When he reached the shop, he peered through the windows. Everything was worn, but not terrible.

Opening the door, a plump witch bustled towards Tom, "What can I do for you lad?"

"I need robes for Hogwarts."

"Yes, this way please. What's your house?"

"I haven't got one yet, I'm a first year."

"Ah, plain robes for you then. Owl me when you have your house so I can send you the right patch."

Not a quarter of an hour later, Tom left the shop, a bag of robes in hand, and began walking according to the directions he had been told to find second hand cauldrons and books. Finding himself outside what appeared to be a junk shop, Tom let out a low hiss. This was even worse than old robes, books that could be in barely useable condition. He opened the door anyway, and found the shopkeeper, asking where books could be found.

"Back left corner, mind you don't damaging anything."

"I don't intend to," Tom said, temper flaring a sparks shot from his wand.

"Easy boy, no need to get mad, just that some stuff don't need more harming."

Tom turned and marched to find his books. When he had found the least damaged copies possible, he returned to the counter to pay.

"I also need a cauldron, scales, and telescope."

"Why should I sell you those, where are your parents, anyway?"

Tom drew his wand a pointed it at the man, "Give me the supplies or I'll curse you."

"Like you can, these are First Year books."

"Petrificus Totalus!" Tom cried, the man's body becoming board stiff, "Get me the cauldron and scales or I leave you like this a don't pay for the books."

Tom released the man, who hurried off, returning ten minutes later with a slightly worn cauldron, malcalibered scales, and a cracked telescope.

"Five Galleons."

Tom slammed down the money and stormed out, as the shopkeeper swore under his breath.


End file.
